A 

oS 

o! 
1 J 

3 1 
3*  •! 

8^Bi 

32 

4l   •£ 
Ol 


'tstt   to   hnrtfor»d    in   the   year 


De  '"ette    And  rev.  9 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


A 
QUAKER'S   VISIT 

TO 
HARTFORD 

IN  THE  YEAR 
1676 


Edited  by 

FRANK  D.  ANDREWS 


Privately  printed 

V  I  N  E  L  A  N  D    N  E  W  J  E  K  S  K  V 
1914 


A    • 
QUAKER'S   VISIT 

TO 
HARTFORD 

IN  THE  YEAR 
1676 


Edited  by 

FRANK  D.  ANDREWS 


Privately  printed 

VINELAND,    NEW  JERSEY 
1914 


F/cl- 
2    •'   5 


PRE  PAC  E  . 

The  spirit  which  influenced  the  Quakers  in  the 

days  of  George  Pox  exists  and  influences  men  today 

this  indwelling  spirit  of  God  in  man  is  coexistent 

with  him  though  long  in  finding  expression,  it  has, 

>owever,  appeared  in  the  deeply  religious  of  all  be' 

iefs  and  sects  since  the  earth  was  peopled 

Old  as  it  is,  it  is  a  new    revelation  to  many;  the 

ill  small  voice  speaking  to  the  soul  is  seldom 

heeded,  though  if  followed,  would  lead  to  a  higher 

and  better  life. 

The  Quaker  recognized  this  voice  as  of  God 
a  sure  guide  to  the  truth.  Having  the  truth  he 
could  do  no  less  than  share  it  with  others,  and  the 
leaders  entered  upon  the  work  of  enlightment  glad- 
ly, freely,  going  about  sowing  the  seeds  of  right- 
eousness. 

The  forms  and  ceremonies  of  the  Church  were  to 


and  ™  H  '  *  I»      m 

and  costly  temples  of  worship  were  denounced. 

The  Quaker  found  the  kingdom  of   heaven  within 
and  as  God   created  all  things,  so  every  thing  was 
sacred,  all  days,  holy  days;  life   in   short,  must   be 
spintuahzed,  so  attuned  to  the  Divine  Life,  that  the 

™ 


516186 


This  spiritualized  life,  the  union  of  man  with  his 
Creator,  gave  strength  to  endure  the  trials  of  the 
world  and  brought  peace  through  the  certainty  of  a 
conscious  immortality. 

William  Edmundson  who  visited  Hartford  so  long 
ago,  was  a  fine  example  of  the  early  Quakers  who 
spent  their  lives  in  the  service  of  the  Lord.  While 
his  opinions  and  beliefs  may  not  coincide  with  our 
own,  we  cannot  fail  to  respect  and  honor  his  many 
st  rling  qualities,  as  shown  by  his  life  of  devotion 
to  the  cause;  his  faithfulness,  courage,  love  of 
truth  and  fidelity  to  duty. 

The  influence  of  such  a  man  does  not  cease  with 
his  death,  and  who  can  say  his  teachings  on  that 
Sabbath-day  in  Hartford,  when  he  "set  all  the  Town 
a  Talking  of  Religion"  were  without  result;  that 
the  seed  then  sown,  nurtured  through  the  centuries, 
finding  expression  in  the  lives  of  men  and  women 
of  the  present  day,  has  not  in  some  degree  changed 
the  narrow  belief  held  by  their  ancestors  to  a  more 
rational  view  concerning  God  and  man's  relation 
to  Him.  .,.,'. 

The  reader  will  find  William  Edmundson's  Jour- 
nal, giving  an  account  of  his  life  and  travels,  pub- 
lished after  his  death,  of  great  interest,  particular- 
ly his  experience  in  America,  should  they  care  to 
learn  more  regarding  him. 

FRANK  D.  ANDREWS. 
VINELAND,  N.  J. 

FEBRUARY  4,   1.914. 


THE    QUAKER. 

William  Edmundson,  whose  visit   to   Hartford   is 

e  recorded,  was  born  in  the  north  of  England,  in 

s  year  1627.    He  was  bound  apprentice  to  the  trade 

•f  carpenter  and  joiner  in  York,  where  he  Jived  sev- 

eral years;  afterwards  he  served  in  the  army,  part 

of  the  time  under  Oliver  Cromwell.     His  conscience, 

Iways  tender,  was  favorably  influenced  towards  the 

doctrines  of  the  Quakers  and  he  soon  became  a  con- 

For  awhile  he  engaged  in  trade,  but  becoming 

u>re  and  more  convinced  of  the  truths  held  by  Qua- 

sal8  to  ?hmeetiD<5  ^^  F°X'  he  Carried  his  ™*' 
sagetothe  people,  speaking  in  public  places  and 

'ng    many  converts,   though     persecuted   and 

anHh  \  IQ  '671'  ln  C°mpan^  with  Ge°rge  Fox 
and  others,  he  went  to  the  West  Indies  and  later  to 
America,  visiting  several  of  the  Colonies.  At  New- 
port  ln  Rhod  Island,  he  with  others  accepted" 

afte    Ed'      /lSPUtC   Wkh  R°ger  Williams-     *»<>» 
Edmundson  sailed  from  Boston  on  his  return 

J       o 

It  was  on  his  second  visit  to  New  England  that  he 
came  to  Hartford.     His  life  was  devoted  to  the    ,er 
vice  of  truth  and  in  that  service  he  helped  human  tT 


<  • 

^s       m  sweet  Peace  with  the  Lord,  in  Unity  with 

his  Brethren,  and  Good-  Will  to  all  Men,"  on  June 
3i  ,1712,   in  the  eighty-fifth  year  of  his  age 

om  his  reference  to  the  "Baptist  Rogers,"  who 

" 


.iwi^tu,  LUC  iime  or  nis 

known  to  be  late  in  the   month   of  October 
the  General  Court  in  session  October  aif  ^grant 
abetb     daughter  of   Mathew   Griswold   of 
Lyme,  and  wife  of  John  Rogers,  a  divorce. 


A 

QUAKER'S 

VISIT  TO   HARTFORD 
1676. 

Au  event  ot  more  than  passing-  interest  in  the  early 
annals  of  Hartford  occurred  late  in  the  year  1676. 
when  a  Quaker  preacher,  on  his  travels  through 
New  England,  journeyed  through  the  wilderness  to 
the  principal  town  in  Connecticut  Colony,  where  on 
the  Sabbath,  he  delivered  his  message  in  both  of  the 
churches,  and  to  the  people  assembled  at  the  Inn 
where  he  tarried;  suffered  arrest,  was  released,  and 
permitted  to  resume  his  journey,  having  followed 
the  dictates  of  his  conscience  in  the  performance  of 
what  he  considered  his  duty. 

Hartford  at  that  time  was  about  forty   years  old; 
many  of  the  lirst  settlers,  who  had  crossed  the  sea,' 
and   those  who    with     their   pastor,    Rev.    Thomas 
Hooker,     made    their    way   through   the   trackless 
forests  of  Massachusetts  Colony  to  the  banks  of  the 
Connecticut,  had  been  laid  at  rest,  Thomas  Hooker 
and  his  successor  Samuel  Stone,  among  them.      Of 
those  who  by  reason  of  strength  survived,  but  few 
remained  well  advanced  in   years,  who  with  the  de- 
scendants  of  the  early  settlers  and  later  additions 
formed  a  community  of  upward  of  a  thousand  souls. 
These  men  and  women  were  in  the  manner  of   the 
time   profoundly  religious,  yet    could   not  dwell  to- 
gether in  unity  of  spirit,  having  differences  of  opin- 
ion which  led  to  controversy,    resulting  at  last  in 
the  withdrawal  of  the  minority  and   the  organiza- 
tion of  a  second  society. 


6 

The  Meeting-House  of  the  First  Society  was  on 
the  east  side  of  "Meeting-House  Square"  near  the 
road  to  the  river  and  ferry.  It  was  a  square  build- 
ing- with  a  roof  rising-  from  its  sides  in  the  form  of 
a  pyramid.  The  Church  was  under  the  pastorial 
charge  of  Rev.  Joseph  Haynes.  In  the  Square 
were  also  the  whipping-post,  stocks,  pillory  and  the 
jail  for  the  more  hardened  offenders. 

The  burial  place  of  the  first  settlers,  north  of  the 
Square  had  been  superseded,  and  burials  were  now 
made  in  a  larger  plot  OH  the  main  street,  where  lay 
the  bodies  of  Hooker,  Stone  and  others. 

The  second  house  of  worship,  probably  resembled 
the  first,  it  had  recently  been  erected  on  the  east  side 
of  the  highway  or  main  street,  a  few  rods  south  of 
Little  River.  Not  to  be  dependent  upon  their 
brethren  from  whom  they  had  seperated,  they  also 
it  is  oelieved,  were  provided  with  a  bell  to  call 
their  members  together.  Rev.  John  Whiting  was 
the  minister. 

By  the  stream  some  sixty  rods  distant,  and  in  full 
view  of  the  Meeting-House  was  a  ship  yard,  to  the 
south  stood  the  Wyllys  mansion;  while  close  by  was 
the  old  oak  in  which  a  few  years  later  the  Charter 
of  the  Colony  was  concealed.  On  the  north  bank  of 
Little  River  the  dwelling  house  of  the  lamemted 
Hooker  could  be  seen.  With  forty  years  of  growth 
Hartford  had  replaced  its  first  rude  habitations  with 
more  substantial  structures,  and  framed  houses  of 
one  and  two  stories  were  making  their  appearance 
along  its  highways. 

Between  the  meeting  houses,  and  on  the  same  side 
of  the  street,  was  the  Ordinary  or  Inn,  kept  at  that 
time  by  Jeremy  Adams. 

For  some  time  the  Colony  and  all    New    England 


7 

had  been  devastated  by  the  ravages  ,,f  the   Indians- 
expeditions   had   been    fitted  out  and  sent  against 
them  with  more   or  less  success  in  subduing   and 
lispersmg  them,  until   at  last  their  acknowledged 
leader,  King  Philip,  and  many  of  his  warriors  were 
surrounded  and   destroyed.        Scattered  bands    of 
dians  remained  to  prey  upon  the  settlers  and   the 
precaution  of  keeping-  armed  men  on   guard  during 
divine  service,  to  prevent  surprise,  still  prevailed. 
The  disciple  of  George  Pox  who  spent  the  Sabbath 
this  town  on  the  Connecticut  River,    and  who  in 
his  journal,   left  an  account  of  the  reception  he  re- 
^ived  there,  was  William  Edmundson,  an  English- 
man,  then  about  forty-nine  years  of  age. 

After  visiting  Boston  and  several  of  the  eastern 
towns  he  returned   to   Newport,    in    Rhode   Island 
where,  after  ministering  to  the  sick  who  fell  victims' 
to  the  pestilence  which  followed    the    victory   over 
the  Indians,  he  too.,  was  overcome  by  the  disease 

On  his  recovery  he  decided  to   go  to   New  York 
and  with  a  fellow  worker  in  the  cause  took  passage 
for  that  place,  he  had  however  heard  of  the   settfe- 
ment  of  his   countrymen  on  the   Connecticut  River 
and  felt  impelled  to  carry  his  message  to  them. 

He    relates  in   quaint  phraseology  his  experience 
m  the  town  settled  by  Hooker  and  his  followers 
He  says:— "Now  whilst'  we    were  on  Board  tbi> 

,  PhP'fC£me  mUCJ  Up°n  me  to  K°  to  New  Hertford, 
Pi?tv  Mn°Wn  ^*nec?™t  Colony,  which  lay  abou 

ifty  Miles  in  the  Country,  through  a  great  Wilder- 
pfnir  *D1  ver\  dan^rSus  to  travel,  the  Indians 

-ing  in  Arms,  haunting  those  Parts,  and  killin" 
many  Christians:  so  it  look'd  frightful,  that  I,  who 
was  a  Stranger  in  the  Country,  should  undertake 
such  a  Journey  in  those  perilous  Times:  but  the  ser- 
vice came  close  upon  me,  and  I  was  under  -reut 
Exercise  of  Mind  about  it,  yet  said  nolhin--  of  it  to 


any  Man  for  some  Days. 

We  were  sore  toss'd  at  Sea,  foreward  and  back- 
ward, by  contrary  Winds  and  bad  weather,  yet  got 
once  on  shore  in  Shelter-Island,  and  went  to  Nathan- 
iel Sylvester's,  a  Friend,  who  dwelt  there,  where  we 
had  a  Meeting-;  after  which  the  Wind  and  Weather 
seeming  to  favor  us,  we  went  on  board  again,  and 
set  on  our  Voyage,  but  in  the  Night  it  was  exceeding 
stormy,  and  we  were  in  great  Danger  of  being  cast 
away;  yet  by  the  Lord's  Providence  escaped, 
tut  were  driven  back  to  New  London:  and  the  Wind 
continuing  against  us  we  stayed  there  three  Days, 
and  endeavoured  to  get  a  Meeting,  but  the  people 
being  rigid  Presbyterians,  would  not  suffer  us  to 
have  one." 

Hearing  of  some  Baptists,  five  miles  from  New 
London,  "  who  kept  the  Seventh  Day  of  the  week 
as  a  Sabbath,"  they  visited  and  discoursed  with 
them.  On  the  following  day,  the  first  of  the  week, 
they  attempted  to  hold  a  meeting  in  New  London, 
"but  the  Constable  and  other  Officers  came  with 
arm'd  Men,  and  forcibly  broke  up  our  Meeting,  hal- 
ing and  abusing  us  very  much;  but  the  sober  People 
were  offended  at  them." 

"That  Evening  we  weigh'd  Anchor,  and  set  sail, 
the  Wind  seemed  something  fair  for  us;  but  it  still 
remain'd  with  me  to  go  to  New  Hertford,  yet  it  seem- 
ed hard  to  give  up,  to  be  expos 'd  to  such  Perils  as 
seem'd  to  attend  that  Journey;  but  I  kept  it  secret, 
thinking  that  the  Lord  might  take  it  off  me.  We 
had  sailed  but  about  three  Leagues  when  the  Wind 
came  strong  ahead  of  us;  that  Night  we  had  a  Storm, 
and  were  glad  to  get  a  Harbour,  where  we  lay  some 
Days,  the  Wind  blowing  stiff  against  us.  And  the 
Hand  of  the  Lord  came  heavy  upon  me,  pressing  me 
to  go  to  New  Hertford;  so  I  gave  up  to  the  Will  of 
God,  whether  to  live  or  die.  Then  I  told  the  Com- 
pany, That  I  was  the  Cause,  why  they  were  so 
cross'd  and  detained  in  their  Voyage.  And  I  shew'd 
them,  How  the  Lord  had  required  me  to  go  to  New 


7 

Hertford,  and  the  Journey  seeming-  perilous,  I  had 
wmyC/k5?tn^  musUo,  in  Submission  to  the 
til  oP°d'  whether  I  ^ved  or  died.  The  Owner 
of  the  Sloop  wept,  and  the  rest  were  amaz'd  and 
lender. 

Then  James  Fletcher  would  go  with  me:  so  we 
went  on  Shore  and  bought  each  of  us  a  Horse,  and 
the  next  Morning  took  leave  of  our  Sloop-Company  • 

len  went  on  our  Journey  without  any  Guide,  except 

whi^hdfMnd  travel>d  thro>  a  &**  Wilderness 
which  held  us  most  of  that  Day's  Journey  We 

frnVTh  d,  'M  rd,'  and  uby  the  Lord's  ff«ciou8  Assistance 
g>t  that  Night  within  four  Miles  of  New-Hertford, 
where  we  lodg-d  at  an  Ordinary,  and  the  People 
werec;uvl1-  I  got  up  next  Morning  very  early  it 
fo^on^T  ^  o£  *«*«*.  aid  we/t  £*%£ 
£«1r°£  T  '  ™m*i  my  Horse  at  the  Ordinary,  and 
Issue  of  m1^  Fl6tChe/  t0r  Stay  there'  tiU  he  sa^  the 
at  Hertford  °e'  exPected  at  least  a  Prison 

So   getting-   there   pretty   soon   in   the   Morning 

ed  tJ^nt^ahab0wtW?  MUeS  lon-  andl  ™*  ^o?: 
ed  to  go  to  their   Worship.      I  came  to  one   -reat 

Meetin-.House,  but  the  Priest  and  People  were  no 
come  to  their  Worship,  it  being  early;  and  my  Sp?rU 
was  shut  up  from  that  Place.      Then  I  was  brouffh 
under  great  Exercise  of  Mind,  fearing-  That  the  Lord 
was  angry  with  me,  and  rejected  my   SerVice    for 

SboS  ^l?nd?rith18  ExerCiSe'      J  Went  on  *£warf 
ab        Half  a  Mile,  so  came  near   to   another  great 

u  "I  H^-;  ^"T'  and  J  f°Und  Openness  in  my  Spirk 
«?'  thi  Per>  \  WaS  ^lad  °f  the  Lord's  Countenance 

There  SSft  ^"5?'  C°me  yet  tO  their  Wo' 
FaVe  RlVer'  where  the    built 


and  Magistrates  went  away,  but  many  of  the 


10 

People  staid,  and  I  had  good  Service  among  them: 
when  I  had  clear'd  my  Conscience  we  parted,  and  I 
went  again  towards  the  River- side,  As  I  was  going 
a  Man  call'd  me  to  come  to  his  House  and  dine  with 
him:  I  stood  a  little  and  look'd  at  him,  his  Spirit 
seem'd  to  be  deceitful,  I  ask'd  him,  If  he  would  take 
Money  for  his  Victuals?  he  said,  No;  then  I  told  him, 
I  would  not  eat  with  him.  So  I  went  to  the  River- 
side again,  and  sate  down;  though  I  had  not  eaten 
any  thing  that  Day. 

After  some  time  the  Bells  rung  for  their  Afternoon 
Worship,  and  I  was  moved  to  go  to  the  other  Wor- 
ship-House afore  mention 'd,  from  which  in  the 
Morning  my  Spirit  was  shut  up.  So  I  went  there, 
and  the  Priest  and  People  were  gather 'd,  having  a 
Guard  of  Firelocks,  for  fear  of  the  Indians  coming 
upon  them;  whilst  at  their  Worship  I  went  in,  and 
sounded  an  Alarm  in  the  Dread  of  the  Lord's  Pow- 
er, and  they  were  statrtled,  yet  were  kept  down  by 
the  Lord's  Power,  in  which  I  declared  the  way  of 
Salvation  unto  them  a  pretty  while;  but  after  some 
time,  by  the  Perswasions  of  the  Priest,  the  Officers 
haled  me  out  of  the  Worship-House,  and  hurt  my 
Arm  so  that  it  bled;  then  they  took  me  to  the  Guard 
of  Firelocks  upon  a  Hill. 

And  though  it  was  a  piercing  cold  Day,  and  I  still 
Fasting,  my  Body  also  thin,  by  reason  of  the  Sick- 
ness I  had  in  Rhode-Island  not  long  before,  and  oth- 
er Exercises  which  I  travelled  thro',  yet  the  Lord's 
Power  supported  me,  so  that  the  Officer,  who  had 
me  in  Charge,  first  complained  of  the  Sharpness  of 
the  Weather,  and  ask'd  me  How  I  could  endure  the 
Cold,  foi  he  was  very  cold  ?  I  told  him,  It  was  the 
Entertainment,  that  their  great  Profeifors  of  Relig- 
ion in  New-England  afforded  a  Stranger,  and  yet 
profeff 'd  the  Scriptures  to  be  their  Rule,  which  com 
manded  to  entertain  Strangers,  and  besides  they 
had  drawn  my  blood;  So  I  shew'd  him  my  Arm  that 
was  hurt;  he  seemed  to  be  troubled,  and  excused 
their  Magistrates,  I  told  him,  The  Magistrates  and 
Priests  must  answer  for  it  to  the  Lord,  for  they 
were  the  cause  of  it:  then  he  took  me  to  uri  Inn,  and 


II 


presently  the  Room  was  fill'd  with  Professors:  much 

Discourse  we  bad,  and   the   Lord   strengthened  me 

and  by  h,s  Spirit  brought  many  Scriptures  to  my 

Remembrance;  so  that  Truth's  Testimony  was  over 

SSL'      .?  °ne  ComPany  went  away  another  came 

When  they  were  foil'd,  a   Preacher  amongst   the 

Bapt,sts    took  up    the  Argument  against  Truth 

SSSFftf  Friends  with  holding  a  fifreat  Error,  [which' 

was]  That  every  Man  had  a  Measure  of   the   Spirit 

i  tSdrKt;  anT.  w,ould  kno£' If  1  held  the  sa™  5™$ 

old  him,    That  was  no  Error,    for   the    Scriptures 

thpnw8eM  lt°  !f  PIen.tifu»y-     He  said,  He  denied,  that 
the  World  had  received  a  Measure  of  the  Spirit   but 
Believers  had  received  it.     I  told  him  that  the  Apos 
tie  said,   A  manifestation  of  the  Spirit  was  given  to 
every  one  to    protit   withal.      He  said,     That  wa 
FZ™1  u°/Very  One  of   the    believers.     I  told  him 
Chris    had  enlightend  every  one  that  came    no    he 
World,  with  the  Light  of   his  Spirit:    He  said    That 
was  every  one  of  the  Believers  that   came   into   the 
World:  and  as  1  brought  him  Scriptures,  he  still  ap 
phed  them  to  the  Belivers,  saying,   There  was   U?e 
Ground  of  our  Error,  in  applying  That  to  every  Man 
which  properly  belonged  to  Believers.  Then  the  Lord 
by  his  good. Spirit  brought  to  my  Mind  the  Promh 
of  our  Saviour    [when  he   told    his    Disciples  of  Ms 
going  away]   That  he  would  send  the  Comforter   the 
Spirit  of  Truth,  that   should   convince  the  World  of 
Sin,  and  should  guide  his  Disciples  into  all   Truth 

nlT  n^Sar  Spirit  °f  Truth-  that  le*ds  Believers 
into  all  Truth,  convinces  the  World  of  Sin      So  th 

must  grant,  that  all  have  recieved  it,  or 'else  shew 
from  the  Scriptures  a  Select  Number  of  Befievers 
and  besides  them  a  World  of  Believers  that  hath  the 
Spirit,  also  another  World  of  Unbelievers,  that  hath 
no  Measure  of  the  Spirit  to  convince  them  o    Sin 
Here  the  Lord's  Testimony  came  over  him,    so  that 
he  was  stop^d  and  many  sober  Professors,  who  staid 

dl?r™epnd'  aCTS^d  ther«with-    and    said, 
deed,  Mr.  Rogers,  the  Man  is  in  the  riirht    for   v,,i 
must  find  a  Select  Number  of   Believers     besTdJs  a 


12 

World  that  hath  a  Measure  of  the  Spirit,  that  con- 
vinces them  of  Sin,  and  a  World  that  hath  not  the 
Spirit,  so  not  convinc'd  of  Sin:  this  you  must  do,  or 
grant  the  Argument.  He  was  silent,  and  the  People 
generally  satisfied  in  that  matter,  their  Understand- 
ings being  open'd;  so  they  took  their  leave  of  me 
very  lovingly,  it  being  late  in  the  Night. 

When  they  were  gone,  I  desired  the  Woman  of  the 
House  to  boil  me  a  little  Milk,  for  that  Day  I  had 
not  eaten.  The  Baptist  Rogers  (aforesaid)  lodg'd 
there  that  Night,  but  liv'd  Fifty  Miles  off,  and  was 
Pastor  to  those  Seven-Day-Sabbath  People,  that  I 
had  been  with  above  a  Week  before  near  New  Lon- 
don. The  People  ot  this  House  where  we  lodged 
being  Presbyterians,  I  call'd  the  Baptist  from  them 
into  another  room:  he  told  me  where  he  liv'd,  and 
what  People  he  was  Pastor  to.  I  told  him,  I  was 
with  his  Hearers,  and  they  were  loving  and  tender. 
He  also  acquainted  me,  he  was  summon'd  to  Hert- 
ford, to  appear  before  the  Assembly  that  then  sate, 
who  had  taken  away  his  Wife  from  hinij  whom  he 
had  married  some  Years  ago,  before  he  was  of  the 
Perswasion  that  he  now  was  of.  And  since  he  be- 
came a  Baptist,  her  Father,  being  an  Elder  of  the 
Presbyterians,  was  set  violently  against  him,  and 
endeavoured  to  divorce  his  Daughter  'from  him, 
[though  he  had  two  Children  by  her]  for  some  ill 
Fact  he  had  committed  before  he  was  her  Husband, 
and  whilst  he  was  one  of  their  Church;  whereof, 
under  Sorrow  and  Trouble  of  Mind,  he  had  acquain- 
ted her,  and  she  had  divulged  the  same  to  her  Fa 
ther;  for  which,  he  said,  they  had  taken  away  his 
Wife.  I  ask'd,  How  he  could  join  with  them  in  op- 
posing me;  and  at  such  a  time  when  I  was  but  One, 
being  a  stranger,  and  they  Abundant  in  Opposition? 
Also,  Whether  it  was  not  unmanly  to  do  so?  But  it 
being  late,  I  desir'd  some  further  Discourse  with 
him  in  the  Morning,  which  he  assented  to;  but  al- 
though I  was  up  before  the  Sun  rose,  he  had  gone 
away  before. 

I  sent  to  the  Officer,  that  had  the   Charge  of   me 


'3 

the  Day  before,  to  know,  if  he  had  any  further  to  do 
with  me,  who  said,  I  might  go  when  and  where  I 
pleas'd.  So  I  paid  the  people  for  my  Nights  Lodg- 
ing, and  being  clear  of  the  Service  there,  I  went 
towards  the  Place  where  I  left  James  Fletcher  and 
our  Horses;  in  the  mean  time  James  Fletcher  came 
another  way  to  look  for  me:  thus  we  miss'd  of  one 
another.  When  he  came  to  Hertford,  he  heard  by 
several  where  I  was  gone,  and  so  came  back,  and 
told  me,  That  I  had  set  all  the  Town  a  Talking  of 
Religion." 

The  next  morning  the  Quaker  and  his  companion 
started  on  their  return,  crossing  to  Long-  Island, 
where  they  held  meetings;  from  there  to  Shrews- 
bury and  Middletown,  in  East  Jersey,  thence  across 
to  Pennsylvania,  having  a  meeting  at  Upland:  after- 
wards taking-  boat  about  thirty  miles  to  Salem,  in 
West  Jersey,  recently  settled  by  John  Fenwick 
and  his  colony  of  Quakers.  "We  order'd  our  horses 
to  meet  us  at  Delaware  Town  by  Land;  so  we  got 
Friends  together  at  Salem,  and  had  a  Meeting:  after 
which  we  had  the  Hearing  of  several  Differences, 
and  endevour'd  to  make  Peace  among  them." 

William  Edmundson  was  probable  the  first  of  the 
travelling  Quaker  preachers  to  visit  that  part  of 
West  Jersey ,  afterwards  frequently  mentioned,  with 
Greenwich,  Cape  May  and  other  localities,  in  the 
journals  of  visiting  Friends. 

Leaving  Salem,  Edmundson  crossed  to  Delaware 
Town,  passing  through  the  colony  to  Maryland,  then 
into  Virginia  and  Carolina;  holding  meetings,  en- 
during hardships,  and  having  many  adventures, 
before  he  could  conscientiously  return  to  his  native 
land. 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


SEP231997i 


THE  LIBRARY 


Stockton,  Calif. 

NT.  UN  71.  1908 


*F104 
H2A5 


